The NHS has now backed ‘NICE’ campaign to encourage overweight and obese people to lose a few pounds.

Recently the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released new weight loss guidelines for managing overweight and obesity in adults. NICE would like to see obese and overweight adults take up slimming classes with the aim of losing at least 3% of their body weight.

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Statistics have shown that 2 in 3 adults in England have a BMI higher than 25. This puts them into the overweight category and above with a BMI of 30 or over meaning you are obese.

NHS GP’s have been told they need to raise any weight related issues in a “respectful and non-judgmental” and to identify people eligible for referral to weight loss programmes.

Ditch the yo-yo…yo!

Professor Mike Kelly Public Health Centre Director for NICE spoke about the issued guidelines being about lifelong change as opposed to yo-yo dieting. Yo-yo dieting is where your weight goes up and down consecutively.

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Basic obesity statistics

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[list_item icon=”ok”]One in 4 adults in England obese[/list_item]
[list_item icon=”ok”]A further 42% of men are classed as overweight[/list_item]
[list_item icon=”ok”]The figure for women in 32%[/list_item]
[list_item icon=”ok”]A BMI of 30-35 cuts life expectancy by up to four years[/list_item]
[list_item icon=”ok”]A BMI of 40 or more cuts life expectancy by up to 10 years[/list_item]
[list_item icon=”ok”]Obesity costs NHS £5.1bn a year[/list_item]

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Source: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence

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Professor Kelly said required achievable goals are needed:

“We would like to offer an instant solution and a quick win, a much greater ambition if you like, but realistically it’s important to bear in mind this is difficult. People find it difficult to do – it’s not something you can just wake up one morning and decide I’m going to lose 10 pounds, it takes resolve, it takes encouragement.“

Demonstrable weight loss

NICE has also indicated that providers of weight management programmes need to ensure that patients and participants engage in demonstrable weight loss maintenance for at least 12 months and more.

NICE did acknowledge the many difficulties that overweight and obese people face saying there was “no magic bullet” that could solve the problem.

Sir Richard Thompson, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, said:

“The majority of Britain is expected to be obese by 2050.”